..These data suggest caution when using short antisense RNAs or siRNAs designed to target promoter sequences, since promoter-targeted RNAs may have unintended inhibitory effects against factors with suppressive gene activity...

..Knowledge of this emerging RNA-based epigenetic regulatory network and our ability to cognitively control gene expression has deep implications in the development of an entirely new area of pharmacopeia...

The emerging role of RNA in the regulation of gene transcription in human cells

..Upon challenge with cell-free HIV-1 (m.o.i. = 0.1) a significant reduction in replication was observed. These findings demonstrate that packaging HIV vectors with FIV is a viable alternative, which avoids use of HIV structural proteins...

..The development, delivery and potential therapeutic use of antiviral siRNAs in treating viral infections and emerging viral threats are reviewed...

The efficacy of generating three independent anti-HIV-1 siRNAs from a single U6 RNA Pol III-expressed long hairpin RNA

Sheena SaaymanAntiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaPLoS ONE 3:e2602. 2008

..Although lhRNAs offer advantages for combinatorial RNAi, we show that good silencing efficacy across the span of the lhRNA duplex is difficult to achieve with sequences that encode more than two adjacent independent siRNAs...

..Although lhRNAs themselves require further manipulation to improve their overall efficacy in generating multiple functioning siRNAs, they may prove useful in any combinatorial-based approach to treating HIV-1 infection...